CHICAGO, June 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Conagra Brands,
Inc. (NYSE: CAG) today announced the winners of its annual
Sustainable Development Awards, celebrating the company's
commitment to sustainability. Conagra's awards program encourages
employees from across its organization to develop, implement and
submit for consideration sustainability-focused initiatives which
conserve water, reduce waste and save energy. This year, Conagra
employees entered a record-breaking 128 sustainability projects
which delivered the following total results for the company:
- Decreased the company's carbon footprint by 15,700 metric tons,
equivalent to avoiding the greenhouse gas emissions of driving a
vehicle 38.9 million miles1
- Conserved 120 million gallons of water, equivalent to
eliminating the filling of 180 Olympic-size swimming
pools2
- Reduced waste by 5,750 tons, equivalent to saving the weight of
25 Statues of Liberty3
These projects are integral in helping Conagra Brands achieve
its corporate social responsibility commitments, while also making
a positive impact on the company's bottom line. This year's
Sustainable Development Awards submissions generated nearly
$30 million in enterprise savings,
demonstrating that employees at every level of the organization are
supporting efforts to cultivate sustainable food brands while also
driving tangible business results.
"Our Sustainable Development Awards continue to be a cornerstone
of Conagra's work to nourish our planet, fueled by our employees'
passion for new ideas," said Sean Connolly, president and
chief executive officer, Conagra Brands. "Sustainable practices are
important in building strong brands and making great food for our
consumers and customers, and these projects demonstrate our teams'
relentless focus on impacting environmental and business
results."
Employee teams submitted sustainability initiatives in the six
following categories, which were reviewed by a panel of company
leaders: Sustainable Brands; Waste Reduction & Recycling; Water
Conservation & Wastewater Management; Climate Change &
Energy Efficiency; Sustainable Operations; and overall Award of
Excellence. An additional People's Choice category winner was
chosen by employee peers through company-wide Sustainable
Development Awards engagement efforts.
Award-winning employee teams direct grant funds from the Conagra
Brands Foundation to nonprofit organizations in their communities
for sustainability-focused public service projects.
Conagra Brands' 2020 Sustainable Development Award winners
are:
Sustainable Brands: Waseca, Minn.
The Birds Eye agricultural operations team at Conagra's Waseca
facility executed a sustainable agriculture program supporting soil
health and water conservation across the company's family farmer
network, complimented by Birds Eye zero waste4
production team efforts to recycle vegetable processing byproducts
into irrigation water and animal feed.
Climate Change & Energy Efficiency: Fayetteville, Ark.
Conagra's Fayetteville frozen food
facility team optimized refrigeration controls to eliminate 267,000
kilowatt hours of electricity use – equal to the annual electricity
needs of 32 homes5 – and reduce the facility's carbon
footprint by 150 tons.
Water Conservation & Wastewater Management: Imlay City, Mich.
At Conagra's Vlasic pickle facility in Imlay City, the team conserved 48 million
gallons of water through a new closed loop water chiller system,
reducing the facility's water use nearly 30 percent.
Waste Reduction & Recycling: Council Bluffs, Iowa
Conagra's Council Bluffs frozen
food facility team eliminated 1,215 tons of food waste and created
$1.5 million in savings by
implementing improved monitoring techniques and production controls
to more effectively train team members on sustainable production
practices.
Sustainable Operations and People's Choice: Irapuato, Mexico
At Conagra's facility in Irapuato,
team members redesigned Hunt's plastic ketchup bottles to be 10
percent lighter, eliminating 60 tons of plastic from the company's
supply chain. The team also eliminated more than 5.5 million pieces
of cardboard from ACT II popcorn by creatively using existing
packaging surfaces, rather than separate inserts, to list product
information, saving 150 tons of corrugate cardboard.
Award of Excellence: St. Elmo,
Ill.
Conagra's salad dressings and breakfast syrups facility team in
St. Elmo applied an innovative use
of air pressure to help transfer liquid ingredients out of tanker
trucks and into the production process, yielding up to 100 gallons
more of usable sweeteners and oil ingredients per tanker load,
eliminating more than 100 tons of food waste annually, and driving
more than $1 million in savings.
To learn more about Conagra Brands' corporate social
responsibility efforts, please visit the ConagraBrands.com
Corporate Social Responsibility page.
About Conagra Brands
Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), headquartered in Chicago, is one of North America's leading branded food
companies. Guided by an entrepreneurial spirit, Conagra Brands
combines a rich heritage of making great food with a sharpened
focus on innovation. The company's portfolio is evolving to satisfy
people's changing food preferences. Conagra's iconic brands, such
as Birds Eye®, Marie
Callender's®, Banquet®, Healthy
Choice®, Slim Jim®, Reddi-wip®,
and Vlasic®, as well as emerging brands, including
Angie's® BOOMCHICKAPOP®, Duke's®,
Earth Balance®, Gardein®, and Frontera®, offer choices for every
occasion. For more information, visit www.conagrabrands.com.
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1 According to the
U.S. EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalency Calculator, 15,700 metric tons
of CO2 is equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions from 38,957,816
miles driven in an average passenger vehicle.
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2 According to FINA
(International Swimming Federation) facilities rules.
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3 According to The
Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation (SOLEIF) statue
facts.
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4 Conagra Brands'
Zero Waste Champion facilities divert more than 95 percent of
materials from landfills through recycling and other innovative
waste reduction measures.
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5 According to the
U.S. EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalency Calculator.
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For more information, please contact:
MEDIA: Priscilla Zuchowski
312-549-5723
priscilla.zuchowski@conagra.com
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SOURCE Conagra Brands, Inc.